Selling a home can be a stressful but lucrative deal. You may wonder how do I sell my house for the most profit? Preparation and timing are essential factors to get the most out of your home investment. What kind of pre-listing preparation can be done? And what is the best time to sell? These questions and more will be answered in the following article.
Preparing Before You Put the House on the Market
There are several things that you can due to your home attracts the eye of the buyer. Eye appeal both inside and outside the home is essential. How do you create the proper eye appeal for selling your home? Here are some proven tips on how to create eye appeal.
1. Remove the Clutter
You have probably lived in your home for some time and have a collection of treasures. It is hard for a potential buyer to see past a homeowner’s treasures and picture their possessions in the home. Keep in mind that you are moving on and you want to get the most money to move on with you. So depersonalize your home. Make the closets look spacious, the inside of the cupboards clean, tidy and decluttered. Pack up excess pictures and other nicknacks to declutter the house. Clean out the garage, hang up the bikes and get a set of shelves for anything you must-have in the garage.
2. Repair Anything Broken
Your house needs to be in good repair to get the most money. One of the first things buyers list on the offer is all the repairs they see that needed to be done. Then they start taking it all off the offer price. Many times because the buyer is unsure how much the actual cost will be they pad the amount which means you are losing more money.
3. Update the Obvious
Go through your house and be honest with yourself. Make a list of what needs to be updated. Will a gallon of $30 paint bring you a better offer quicker? If so then break out the paintbrush and paint. Does the tile need to be re-grouted to look clean and fresh? Make a list then create a reasonable budget for updating. The more you can do yourself the more money will end up in your bank account after the sale.
4. Clean and Then Clean Some More
New home buyers to do not want to buy the dirt of the previous owner. So give the house a good cleaning. Clean under everything. Have the carpets professionally cleaned and all spots removed. Make sure to clean all of the detail places like:
- The Blinds
- Under the Appliances
- Degrease the Vent Hood in the Kitchen
- Wipe all the Light Fixtures
- Wipe Down All Interior Doors and Door Handles
- Wash or Clean the Drapery in Every Room
If you have stainless steel appliances it is not necessary to buy an expensive stainless steel cleaner. You can use baby oil and a soft cloth and it will polish it nicely.
5. Stage your Home
According to the National Association of Realtors for every $100 invested in staging it brings a possible return of $400. Properly staged homes help the buyers to become so enamored with the look and appeal of the interior of the home. The buyer’s focus will change from how much to deduct from the price of the house and more on how their belongings will fit into the home. Staging is an instrumental marketing tool for getting the most out of your house check out this staging infographic.
An experienced stager will bring out the home’s architectural features and they will know the target audience for that property and design the space accordingly. They also will create an inviting and a more open feel to the rooms in your home. Here are some of the basic staging guidelines:
- Keep the Decor Neutral
- Remove Clutter
- Remove Personal Items
- Avoid Divisive Decor
- Keep Decor Timeless
Now to keep the decor neutral does not mean every wall must be white or tan. It just means that that shocking colors should be avoided. It also means that monotonous colors on every single wall should also be avoided. The neutral decor would also mean to avoid divisive decor. Divisive decor includes religious or political items or any other item that may be considered offensive to a buyer. This helps the buyer focus on the property and not on the current homeowner.
Preparing the Outside
The outside of your home needs to have curb appeal. Some buyers will not even enter a home if the outside is unkempt looking. So here are somethings you can do to improve curb appeal.
- Repair any damaged fencing.
- Pull all the weeds from the flower beds.
- Freshen up the mulch or ground cover.
- Any peeling paint on the house scrape and repaint.
- Trim the shrubs and give them a nice shape.
Time to List Your Sellable Home
Now that you have cleaned your house top to bottom and relocated all the unessential decorations and items to the storage unit. Hired a professional stage consultant or followed the staging guidelines. Cleaned up and manicured the outside of your home so it has excellent curb appeal. Drive around your neighborhood and see what is for sale and how much. This will give you an idea of what your house should be listed for.
It is now time to call the real estate agent and list your home. You want to find an agent that has a lot of experience and that is familiar with the market in your area. The agent will most likely be able to tell you what houses in your area have sold for in the last six months or year. As well as how long it is taking houses to sell in your area. Your diligent preparation and seasoned real estate agent will help you get the most money out of your home and into your bank account to move on to your next home.